Of Ravens and Hummingbirds
by Sumi-Sprite
Summary: AU, Cavity. Once, Toothiana met a man of raven black feathers and gossamer wings - so like her, yet not like her. But after the battle of Tooth Palace thousands of years ago, he vanished. Centuries go by, and after Pitch's defeat, she starts to dream of him again. She has to find him now, but there are doubts in her mind. Why does this raven-man look so much like Pitch?
1. Chapter 1

**Of Ravens and Hummingbirds. **

Ch. 1

_A/N~ Ha ha ha…god damnit. This was meant to be a kind of silly bonus chapter for Snakebite, but then…shit happened. And I fell face first into it. And then a bunny came by and started humping my leg. Ha ha ha…Xion5…I will kill you. I-I will find you, and-and hug you, and give you cookies, but-but-BUT THEN, I'm going to kill you for being so awesome (EVIL) and making me do this. You are an evil, evil, EVIL little IMP~!_

_So! Enjoy this little AU that was spawned between I and the lovely __**Xion5**__ during an IM conversation. Xion, how is it you are able to make me write het? What kind of sorcery is this? WHAT IS YOUR SECRET!?_

_**Now edited!**_

_Enjoy! _

Pairing: Tooth/Pitch (Cavity)

Genre: Romance, humor, angst.

Rating: T (to be safe)

Enjoy!

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

Tooth Palace was, as a general rule, always chaotic. Always, it was a whirling storm of iridescent green feathers and traded coins and teeth. One could not get into the palace without having a Mini-fairy nearly colliding into their face. And that wasn't exactly a pleasant experience, considering their sharp, pointy beaks.

And of course, at the center of all the twittering, chirping, and fluttering, was their queen.

"Okay, good. Boxes 465 through 582 go into vault C! No, no, boxes 352 through 433 do not go in vault B!" Tooth flitted about between towers and troops of fairies, feathers ruffled.

As it was said, Tooth Palace was chaotic. Now though, it was even more so than usual – it was pure discord. Tooth boxes were piled upon towers, spires, and the ground, each one having to be put back in their proper places. And all while the fairies simultaneously continued to collect and store teeth. To say the least, Tooth was stressed. She was used to fast-paced work and frantic order. Many would call her a workaholic with a chaotic complex. She herself preferred the term 'controlled chaos'.

"Ugh, no, wait a second! Why is team 8 out? It was team 6's turn to go on tooth patrol!" Tooth rubbed her temples as the meek fairy before her shrugged helplessly.

Baby Tooth, hovering beside her and chirping out her own set or orders, gave her queen a concerned look. They all had been storing away and doing their jobs for the past week now. And no matter how long they worked and re-stored the tooth boxes, it seemed the piles never got smaller. It seems that even with Pitch's defeat, they were still dealing with his aftermath.

Sending a troop away, the heterochromatic eyed fairy regarded her queen with tiny arms crossed.

"_Maybe you should take a break?"_ she suggested. Tooth shook her head.

"No, I have too much work to do Baby-Tooth," she sighed, before perking up and turning to another fairy, "Lateral Incisor, Las Vegas, Nevada, go!"

Baby-Tooth rolled her eyes, chirping to Tooth. The fairy queen at first frowned, before her eyes widened and she called the fairy back.

"Wait no! I meant Los Angeles, California!" she called, the fairy quickly changing direction.

Biting her lip, Tooth looked back at her second in command. The fairy looked very much unimpressed and quirked a brow at her queen. Tooth groaned.

"Ugh, yes, I know I'm stressed and overworking myself, but this needs to get done," she said, gesturing to the piles of unsorted tooth boxes, "We can't just leave them laying here! And the sooner it gets done, the better."

"_And the more you fuss over this, the more mistakes you're going to make…" _Baby-Tooth shot back, _"We're already set back, and you sent a whole team of fairies to a city that didn't so much as have one molar out of place! You NEED a break!"_

Tooth made as if to argue, but she suddenly deflated, exhausted. As much as she often times questioned Baby-Tooth's all too stubborn head, she was right. She was already screwing up and sending fairies to the wrong places. She had even had an entire unit of tooth boxes put in the wrong vault, and had her poor workers remove and restock them in their proper place.

The fairy queen rubbed her forehead with a sigh, a headache suddenly setting in. It all seemed to be catching up to her now. The exhaustion, the sleepless nights, the damn boxes and teeth and directions and just _urgh!_

"Okay…okay, you win." She sighed, defeated.

Baby-Tooth smirked and made a shooing gesture to Tooth. Her expression deadpan, Tooth sighed and flitted away towards her bedroom. She could hear Baby-Tooth chirping orders left and right, causing the fairy queen to roll her eyes. Honestly, it was like working with a drill sergeant sometimes. She blamed Jack's influence on her.

'_At least she keeps him out of trouble…'_ she thought tiredly.

Wings fluttering sluggishly, the fairy queen weaved her way through spires, towers, and piles of tooth boxes. A part of her wondered if she was going the right way – she could have sworn her room was this way. Odd, her fairies were not in this section of the palace either. It was so quiet; worryingly so. She frowned, suddenly wary. Where was everybody, she wondered.

But before she could ponder the strange anomaly further, she suddenly startled when a blur of black flashed just out of the corner of her eye.

Turning, her feathers perked up in alertness. But nothing was there. Shaking her head, Tooth rubbed her eyes and groaned, her feathers flattening.

"I must be more tired than I thought…" she muttered.

Removing her hands, she blinked to clear her vision.

And then she saw him.

She stared at him, eyes wide and nearly bugging out of her head. He stared back, calmly, his amber eyes unrelenting and sharp.

He – not a man, nor a bird – was a hellish, yet wondrous sight to the fairy woman. His whole body was covered in sleek black feathers, his face, hands, and chest being exposed by a plunging neckline of feathers that ended just below his navel. Feathers of the brightest gold accented his back and swept back crest, seemingly highlighting an almost haunting appearance. He had a plume of tail feathers like her, but it was longer and wider, almost in the imitation of a cloak's drag. Gold feathers dotted the tail, forming what looked to be an outline of a monster's face. And his face…

A pale, overcast sky grey. His body was willowy and slender, definitely larger than her own. And his eyes – they were of the brightest gold, a ring of bursting yellow around black pupils; like a solar eclipse.

And those eyes, those familiar, long lost eyes; they sent her heart _racing._

"_Until we meet again, my dear songbird…" _

That voice…she hadn't heard it in thousands of years. It's been so long. Was this it? Was this the day they were to meet again? Did she not have to wait any longer?

Would she finally know his _name?_

Tooth swallowed, her heart racing. Lips suddenly dry, she opened her mouth and made to speak.

"You-" _came back_, was what she wanted to say.

But before she could correct herself, the man spread his gossamer wings and flew away.

"Wait!" Tooth cried, kicking her suddenly energetic wings into gear and flitting after the bird-man.

He paid her no mind, and instead only sped up and flitted through spires and towers until he was outside the palace. He suddenly veered and dove for the forest below them, nearly disappearing into the foliage. But his black feathers clashed against the green and floral vegetation. Tooth easily spotted him and gave chase, ignoring how everything around her seemed to disappear and narrow down onto _that man._

'_Wait, please…!' _she pleaded, somehow unable to voice her words, _'Just tell me your name…!'_

They both dove into the jungle canopy, dodging tree trunks, bushes, and frightened animals alike. Tooth's heart was pounding in her ears, her brain now a useless mass in her head. She was oblivious to everything around her – including how it seemed like the exotic fruit trees around her soon seemed to change into pine and oak trees. The temperature dropped until it was pleasantly cool, and the sky was no longer glowing pink and orange from its seemingly eternal sunset. They passed over a familiar frozen lake, and converged deeper into the forest.

"Please wait!" She called again. Her voice sounded distant to her, weak. Like she was barely gasping each syllable.

But still, the man only sped up until he vanished behind a cluster of trees. Gasping for breath that somehow seemed useless to her, Tooth burst through the foliage and looked around.

Nothing. The man was gone, the clearing was barren.

Except for the skeletal bedframe and hole beneath it at its center.

And suddenly, it was as if she was possessed. Somehow trapped in her own mind and watching through her own eyes, her body walked towards the all too familiar bedframe. She struggled, but her body was calm and only continued forward. Her eyes peered down the gaping hole under the rotting bedframe, and she felt her heart skip a beat.

She suddenly lurched forward, and plunged headlong into the abyss. Tooth would have screamed if she were in control of her body, but all she could do was watch through her eyes as she fell deeper, and deeper, and deeper into the darkness.

She pulled up suddenly, nearly reeling from vertigo. She was suddenly in the vast, main room of Pitch's lair. Cages hung in the hundreds around the dark lair, the once white-washed light now dim and almost nonexistent. The globe on the plateau was lit up like a Christmas tree, the gold lights pinpointing each and every Believer in the world. It was the only source of real light within the caverns, and yet the globe seemed to do nothing in illuminating its own section of the lair. The lights were contained, as if they had no reach.

'_But where's Pitch…?' _she wondered with a frown.

If the Boogeyman had sensed a Guardian in his lair, you would think he would come forthright to confront her. But no one was here – no Nightmares, Fearlings, Pitch, or _him…_

"Hello?" she suddenly found her voice for but a moment. Her voice didn't even echo in the vast caverns.

She startled suddenly, a sound putting her on edge. It was like the slow, eerie creak of an old door being opened. Her heart beat thunderously in her chest – she could literally hear its rhythmic beat in her ears. Tooth bit her lip, suddenly wishing she had her rapiers with her. But she was weaponless, and only had her wits and fists about her.

A breeze suddenly wisped past her, nearly knocking her out of the air.

"_Toothiana…"_

She gasped at the sound of that voice saying her name, eyes wide as she looked around to pinpoint its source. The noise suddenly started up again, this time louder. And before Tooth could even think of turning tail and leaving, something fluttered down into her line of vision.

Blinking, she held a hand out and watched as a long, smooth black feather dropped into her palm. Carefully, she ran a finger over the soft edge. Another breeze passed her by, and the creaking was now right behind her.

"_Toothiana…"_

Back straight and stiff, Tooth slowly turned around.

The bird cage was huge – large enough to fit three full grown men. Its black, wrought iron bars were spiked and rigid, and lined with what Tooth could only call barb wire. And there, standing inside of it, was _him._

The raven-like man inside stared at her with his deep gold eyes, unblinking and unmoving. His gossamer wings folded neatly against his back, he looked like a trapped animal. Tooth wanted to scream, to pry the other out of the cage and demand what was going on. But before she could try and attempt to open her mouth, the man closed his eyes, and his feathers shuddered.

Slowly at first, then picking up speed, his feathers started to fall out. First one by one, then in bundles, and then finally his feathers were cascading down his body and through the barred floor of the cage. He was no nothing but a blur of black and gold feathers, his body nowhere to be seen.

The last few feathers were slowly dissipating, vanishing into the abyss below. And once they all cleared, there stood another in the bird man's place…

Tooth felt the blood drain from her face, her hand clenching spastically around the one feather.

Pitch opened his eyes then, clad in his trademark cloak and leggings. He looked tired, saddened almost. Slowly, he lifted an arm and reached out for Tooth through the bars.

"_Let me out…"_ he said.

Breathing hard, Tooth suddenly looked down at her hand where the feather was.

In its place was a black key.

The creaking started up again, and she looked up at the chain holding the cage up. One of the links was rusted over and nearly broken through. She looked back at Pitch, the Boogeyman giving her no real expression outside the almost pleading look in his eyes. Down just along the center bar of the cage was a lock and keyhole. Tooth looked at the key and the chain in turn, suddenly unsure as to what to do. Did she really have to free Pitch Black? What would that do? What would he do to her?

"_Please…"_ she looked up at Pitch, at his pleading expression.

His hand still held out to her, Pitch gripped another bar with his free hand. He looked scared…

"_Please…let me out."_ He said.

Tooth bit her lip, suddenly torn. Her hand clenched around the key, and she looked down at the keyhole. The chain was weakening still, and the cage was shuddering slightly with its strain. Breathing hard, she looked up at Pitch. And for a split second, she saw the raven man in his eyes. Her heart lurched suddenly, and she made as if to speak.

But she hesitated for too long.

With a sickening groan, the chain snapped, and the cage plummeted into the abyss.

Mouth wide in a horrified gape, she reached out for the swiftly disappearing hand. His ashen fingers brushed against her own, before time caught up to them, and he _fell._

Tooth suddenly found her voice then, and she opened her mouth and screamed-

"PITCH!"

Tooth panted, her hand reaching out into open air. Eyes wide and nearly crazed, she looked around at her surroundings. A nest of pillows, a round room with green, blue, and accents of gold around her. Drapes around the bed dyed a deep green surrounded her, and a desk and vanity sat across from her bed near a bookcase.

She was in her room. And she had just woken up from a nightmare.

Tooth swallowed dryly, suddenly nauseous. What…had just happened? How did she get here? _When _did she get here!?

'_What was that…?' _she wondered shakily.

Groaning, Tooth put her face into her outstretched hand and sighed shakily. A dream, it was only a dream, she reasoned. This wouldn't be the first time she dreamt of the bird man, but it was the first time it was something so…_intense. _

'_I haven't even thought of him in so long…'_ she thought. And when he suddenly just…turned into _Pitch…_

"Why…?" she rasped.

Was…was the man in trouble? Did Pitch do something to him? Was this some kind of premonition? Was it the reason why she hasn't seen him in so long? Because Pitch had him…?

No, that didn't add up. But, then again…

'_Why else would I dream of the two of them…?' _she wondered.

She suddenly startled when the miniature door on her own properly sized door opened, and admitted one very flustered Baby-Tooth. The Mini-fairy chirped irritably and flitted to Tooth, nearly pressing her beak into her eyes.

"Wha-what? Slow down!" Tooth rubbed the sleep from her eyes, her brain slowly coming back into focus.

Baby-Tooth growled and waved her arms, _"Tooth! You've been asleep all day! We're getting swamped out there!"_

"Wha…?" Tooth shook her head, suddenly on the alert. All day? She had been asleep _all day?_

And yet, for some odd reason, she felt _exhausted._

'_Damn it all…!' _she groaned, smoothing her crest back.

"Okay, okay, I'm coming, just give me a minute…" she said.

Baby-Tooth cocked her head, suddenly looking concerned. She chirped inquisitively at her queen, gesturing to her person. Tooth shook her head.

"No, I'm fine, just had a…very strange dream." She said. Baby-Tooth frowned before Tooth waved a hand at her, "It's fine, really. Sandy probably got into too much eggnog again; you know how he is."

Baby-Tooth shrugged, before she gave her queen one last suspicious look and flitted away. Tooth sighed and slumped once she was gone, rubbing her forehead.

"God I hope it was just him and his eggnog…" she muttered. She paused though when she felt something in her other hand under her blanket.

Frowning, Tooth brought her hand up, and opened it. She felt her breath hitch in her throat.

In her hand was a sleek, inky black feather.

To be continued…

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

_A/N~ Phew, pumped this baby out in only two days. New record! XDD This is still all Xion5's fault. You will pay for this._

_Chapter two should be up in a couple days or so! Now off to work on SaD!_

_~S~_


	2. Chapter 2

**Of Ravens and Hummingbirds. **

Ch. 2

_A/N~ Hello library! I have missed you so! *hugs the building* geez, been ages since I was last here. Our new puppy has been keeping me busy, the little turd XD_

_And wow, first thing in the morning and I'm writing this? Christ, my standards have dropped through the floor and are now having tea in Satan's parlor. Hahahah, f*** me. XD_

_Once again, all __**Xion5**__'s fault, I am NOT known for writing het in any way, shape, or form. How she made me like this pairing is a mystery. She is a wizard. She is an evil wizard with evil sorcery that has converted me to HET of all things. And I can't hate her for it! HOW!?_

_Well, please enjoy this update while I go yank my teeth out and offer them to the yaoi gods in apology for my betrayal. *sobs*_

_Enjoy! _

_**Now edited!**_

Pairing: Tooth/Pitch (Cavity)

Genre: Romance, humor, angst.

Rating: T (to be safe)

Enjoy!

_~S~_

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

'_This is a bad idea…'_ was her initial thought.

Actually, it was a _very_ bad idea. And if she had told anyone what she was doing – or planning to do – they would wholeheartedly agree. In fact, if she had told the other Guardians what she was planning to do – they would not only disagree and possibly lock her away in a closet, but they would call her mad. Then lock her in a closet in a straitjacket.

Because as it stood, none of what she would claim would make sense or hold any grounds. Tooth was the last of her kind – and she had _never_ told them about her fated encounter with the raven man all those centuries ago. Add in the fact that her species could not be male, they would be beyond skeptical of her claims. To go even further, suspecting her dream might mean something, she would need to be stark raving mad to want to do this.

"Maybe I am crazy…" she muttered to herself.

It wouldn't be the first time she's questioned her sanity. She questioned it for days when she first met that man…

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

The first time she met him, she had only just been starting out as The Tooth Fairy…

The sweet wind of the jungle was perfumed with the humid and exotic sweetness of budding flowers and ripening fruits. Yet somehow, the smell was bland to her, lost to her dulled senses. Anxiety and restlessness creeped up her body like the many vines of the jungle of her home. Animals were silent in this area, barely making a sound above the hushed whisper of the seemingly endless wind. The wind never seemed to die here, in this sacred place where bird-like women used to fly. One would think they had never left, yet to Toothiana…

It was very, very lonely.

Her mother, her father, her friends – they were all gone. Either dead or left behind as she lived a life on the run from hunters and monstrous apes. It was a desolate existence. Even with the animals of the jungle who tried to give her comfort and companionship, or the tiny versions of herself trying to cheer her up, Toothiana had never felt so alone.

No matter how many homes she visited, hovering over sleeping children as she exchanged a lost tooth for a piece of treasure, it was as if she didn't exist – not to them, and not to herself. This limbo of desolation was eating away at her mind, and she often wondered just what she was doing anymore. Why was she the only one of her kind still alive? Why was she cursed with the gift of solitude? Why did her sisters leave her alone…?

Tooth often wondered if it was her human half that saved her from joining her sisters as part of the jungle's foliage. But a small part nagged at her; she was still alive because she had a duty to fulfill, something precious to protect.

Even the winged elephants of which she now protected encouraged her work, always telling her to be patient and wait. But, wait for what?

You will know, they always said. And Tooth would always sigh, disappointed. And every night, she would look up at the moon. Mixed emotions were always felt about the ever changing orb in the sky; some nights she felt a calm sense of reassurance from seeing it. Other nights, there was a misplaced sense of resentment and suspicion. She could not fully put her finger on just why she was feeling these things. All she knew was that, sometimes, when she looked up at the night sky on a new moon, she felt at peace. And more importantly, she didn't feel so alone for some odd reason. She once witnessed a lunar eclipse, and on that night, she had felt so elated for some reason. She felt free, yet eager. Like she was excited to be seeing someone that night. But she had no idea who, and no matter how much she searched, she could never find this person.

But at night, she would often dream of a shadow – no, not a shadow. Something else. She would dream of her home at night, and in the sky there would be a black and gold shape – a bird. But it was no bird. It – no, he – was something else. Something dark, of the great abyss. And yet, so much as she may represent light, and he dark, she had never felt such a magnetic pull to the dark figure.

Even now as she awakes from such a dream, she always asked,

"Who are you?" of course, no one would answer. Because no one was there but her and her still sleeping Mini-fairies.

She sighed, gazing over at her smaller counterparts. They were so lucky, she thought. They always had peaceful dreams. She, however, always had those strange dreams full of things out of reach, a sense of longing and loss. But somehow, they comforted her. Even if he was just a dream, he was still another person she got to see, even with her eyes closed.

Getting up from her nest of pillows and blankets, Tooth stretched and looked outside. It was just nearing sunrise, the sky still mostly dark. The horizon was painted with red, orange, pink, and purple on the border between the rising sun and the night sky. The moon had long since left, and she was glad for that. This was one of those days where she felt a sense of defensive contempt towards it.

Shaking her feathers out, Tooth shot her Mini-fairies one last look. Let them sleep, she decided. She needed to patrol her home for intruders, and she wanted to do so alone so she could think.

When she stepped out of her home though, she felt a sudden sense of elation. Blinking in confusion, she looked around, but saw nothing to cause the sensation. The feeling was comparable to when a child was being told they were going to meet their best friend that day. But why? What was this odd sensation in her stomach that made her heart flutter and warm in her chest?

She shook her head. It was probably nothing. Perhaps some remnant from her dream, she reasoned. Nodding to herself, she took off into the jungle of Punjam Hy Loo.

Making her rounds over the canopies of the drowsy trees out of Punjam Hy Loo's range were often peaceful and uneventful. But today, her feathers itched with anticipation and anxiety. She had no idea why, but she just knew that something was going to happen today. Animal instinct told her to be on the alert, but not in the cautious way that would signal foretelling danger. Her crest flickered and twitched in some form of…excitement? Eagerness? She didn't know anymore – it was maddening!

She suddenly paused from hearing a disturbance in the trees below. Curious, yet cautious, Tooth flitted down and into the thick foliage. She carefully dove in through the thick canopy, coming to hover in a darker part of the forest. The trees were willowy here, the canopies thicker and denser. She could hear no animals or insects in the area for some reason. She had never been to this part of her jungle oddly, always unconsciously avoiding it. Tooth frowned, suddenly wishing she had her rapiers with her. Something felt…off. Not bad per se, but it was…something she could not name. An unknown.

Nevertheless, she flitted down the tunnel of trees, until she came to a thickly veiled clearing. The grotto was thickly vegetated, dense bushes and trees blocking nearly all light out. Tiny pinpricks of light pierced like needles through the overhead canopy, with only a few pencil thin shafts making it through the dense leaves. The grass was damp and sticky with dew, the earth smelling of moss and rainfall.

And at the grotto's center was a bird – caught in a trap.

"Oh no…" Tooth said, quickly flitting over to the struggling bird. Kneeling beside the flustered creature, she gently grabbed its flailing wings.

"Hold still little one, you're going to hurt yourself." She said calmly.

The bird, recognizing the fairy queen, suddenly relaxed and chirped tiredly at Tooth. The Tooth Fairy smiled and looked over the trap. It appeared to be some sort of snag, triggered and wrapped tightly around one of the bird's brittle legs. Tooth scowled; hunters were such cruel things. And how did one even get into her jungle?

She shook her head and unsheathed a dagger at her hip. Carefully, she cut the knot of the snag, and began to unravel any tangles and other knots around the bird. The bird gave an elated cry as it was freed and stood in the palm of Tooth's hands, shaking itself off.

"There you are! Does your leg hurt at all?" Tooth asked. The bird chirped, giving the negative. Tooth smiled, "Thank goodness. You should go on now, I need to figure out who set this-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence, as a loud _snap_ was heard. And suddenly Tooth was pushed forcibly into the ground by a great weight. Dazed, and her hearing filled with the shocked cries of the bird she had rescued, Tooth looked up and through the various square holes of the heavily woven net over her body. Grunts and cries of triumph sounded from the thick canopy above her, and hunched over figures fell from the trees and surrounded her. Her eyes widened and she growled angrily at what she saw.

Monkey men.

One of them – a slightly larger monkey with various scars, and missing half his left ear – grinned his gnarly toothed grin and approached the captured fairy. He kneeled down to her, his putrid breath nearly blacking Tooth out.

"Look what we got here boys! We got a fairy in our net!" he laughed. Cries of triumph were given, the apes beating their chests or hopping in place.

"Let me out you wretched thing!" Tooth snapped. She was only grateful it wasn't the Monkey King who caught her; she could probably get away from this joker and his goons.

"I don't think so, fairy queen." The monkey cackled, pulling out a roughly sharped spear, "Monkey King has demanded your hide. And lucky, lucky us! Here you are!"

Tooth resisted gritting her teeth, glaring heatedly at the cackling ape. Her dagger would do no good against the thickly woven net – the ropes were too thick, and the knife itself only a sharpened stone. She had left her rapiers at home, and it would take too long for her fairies to find her. It was with dawning horror that she realized she was trapped.

"Now, what should we do with the little fairy?" the monkey pondered. The others cried out various, vulgar suggestions. From plucking her feathers out, to cutting her hands off, he had plenty of options.

The monkey grinned suddenly, using the tip of his spear to tip her head upwards to look at him better.

"Me thinks your wings would make a lovely gift for our king," he said, "And such a pretty bird could have more uses before she loses her life…"

Tooth could feel her heart about to beat its way out of her chest as the monkeys all gave excited cries and howls. The leader of the pack gave a mighty roar and snatched a long sword from one of the smaller monkeys. Reaching down, he griped the base of Tooth's wings through the net and hauled her up, prompting a pained cry from the fairy. Pulling her up further, the monkey placed the blade against her wings' base, before pulling back to get ready to swing. Tooth shut her eyes. This was it, she thought. This was how she was going to end. Wingless, and used as a toy for these vulgar apes…!

She prayed to her parents and hoped for it to end as quickly as possible. She would not beg for her life; if she was going to die, she would die with dignity and with thoughts of her parents, fairies, and the children in her mind.

The ape cackled, and made to bring the sword down and tear her wings out…

But a sudden sound in the air caught his attention, and he paused. The sound was odd, yet sharp; like the whizzing of an arrow cutting through the air. But it had stopped as abruptly as it was heard. And his men were silent, openly gaping at him as if in shock. Frowning, he felt a tiny pinprick of pain in his chest. He looked down. And his eyes widened.

He wouldn't call it an arrow so much as it was a very sharp, very dangerous looking spike of black entering from his back and exiting through his chest. A coldness was suddenly upon him, and his vision became as black as the strange arrow. The monkey leader suddenly dropped his sword, and fell to the ground. Dead.

Tooth opened her eyes when she heard the monkey's heavy body collapse to the ground, and she gasped as she gazed down at the still corpse. It was silent in the small clearing, none of the monkeys knowing what to do.

The sound was back again, and this time, it was a scout that fell with an arrow in his head. Suddenly they all knew what to do. Panic set in, the apes screeching in panic as they scrambled around the grotto like headless chickens. More arrows flew from the canopy, this time heading for Tooth. She gasped and shut her eyes, but felt no arrows hit her. Instead she felt them fly right past her, barley grazing her feathers, as they cut through and severed the net around her. The monkey's panic only seemed to escalate with Tooth's new freedom, and they finally broke off and ran into the jungle with arrows flying after them like dogs chasing cats.

The clearing was silent then, the monkeys vanishing into the foliage. The arrows had stopped flying, and she was left alone with two bodies and a stunned bird. Shaking, she looked around, the bird sidling up to her in fear.

"Who…?" she rasped, unable to say anything more.

A deep, smooth chuckle was suddenly heard above the trees, and Tooth quickly stood with her dagger at the ready. The laugh only seemed to become more amused as she armed herself, and the trees rustled as a sudden rhythmic gust picked up.

"My, my…" a deep, accented voice purred.

Tooth tensed as the canopy rustled, and the unmistakable vibrating of wings reached her ears. And as if cut with bladed whips, part of the canopy burst open with scattering leaves falling from the now gaping hole. A shaft of light poured into the grotto, only briefly obscured as something – no, someone – hovered down into the clearing.

Landing soundlessly, Tooth felt her heart skip a beat as the creature – the man – regarded her.

A smirk spread over an ashen face, contorting black lips smoothly. Gold eyes narrowed in amusement as slender arms crossed at the chest.

"The famous Tooth Fairy, the last of the Sisters of Flight," he said, his voice almost a purr, "Queen Toothiana of Punjam Hy Loo."

Tooth could only stare.

The man – not a bird, nor truly a man – was of midnight black feathers, golden shards, and ashen skin. His wings, like black sand imbedded in glass and cut into the shape of sharp wings, speckled with gold gossamer like glowing sand. His tail, like hers, was long and flared. But his was bigger and dragged out further from his body, not unlike the dragging train of a long coat or cloak. He was tall, so much taller than her, and slender. Black clawed hands tapped against a bicep, while the long neck contorted slightly as he tipped his head to the side curiously.

Tooth herself could feel her heart pounding erratically in her chest; was this a…brother of flight? A survivor of the sisters' tragedy? But none of her kind had been male – no man could command the sky as they could. Yet here he was. He was a man, but he was also like her.

She watched, enthralled, as his narrow, exposed chest rose and fell with each breath he took. If she listened closely, she could hear it. Tooth shuddered; she had the sudden urge to be near him, to place a hand on that strong chest to feel for a heartbeat. For how could she deny it any longer if she felt the ultimate proof of his being real?

Breathless, she opened her mouth, as if to speak, "You-"

"Your reputation does you no justice," he suddenly said, suddenly looking bored, "The snakes and insects sing of your strength and prowess of a warrior. And yet…I was not the least bit impressed by _that_ display…"

Tooth suddenly felt like she had been slapped. What…?

"What…?" she rasped, quietly. The man snorted.

"Honestly, falling for such an obvious trap like that? It's a wonder how you survived this long," he said, before he leered down at the bird at Tooth's feet, "And all for the sake of a worthless little bird…"

Whatever flicker of awe Tooth now held for this man was quickly starting to dim. She at first wasn't sure what he was saying, so shocked as she was by his appearance. But once it sunk in that he was actively insulting her, she frowned.

"What are you-?"

"Next time you get yourself captured, do it where I'm not going to hear those wretched beasts shrieks while I'm sleeping." He continued, reaching over for the dead monkey leader. He grabbed the arrow – or barb, as it more resembled – and forcibly yanked it out.

Tooth cringed at the squelching sound it emitted, blood dripping from the sharp spike. She then watched, amazed, as the black bird man balanced it vertically in his palm. The barb shuddered, before it seemed to collapse, and melt into the man's arm, and another long feather formed at his hip around his tail. The barb, she realized, was like a porcupine's quill. She watched as he did the same to the barb in the other monkey, this time forming a feather in his arm near the elbow. Looking around, he waved a hand, and the remaining barbs in the ground shuddered and retreated back to him with swift speed. Tooth thought he was going to impale himself at first, but all they did was merge into his body in the form of soft looking feathers.

Once he was sure he got them all, he smoothed back his crest – much like her own, but a bit longer and more resembling spiked hair.

"You know it's rude to stare." He droned.

Tooth blinked owlishly, before she suddenly shook her head and frowned at the raven man.

"Who _are_ you?" she finally managed to ask. The man chuckled, as if amused.

"Oh, wouldn't you like to know?" he said.

"Yes, I would!" Tooth suddenly stood up straight, pointing her dagger at the man, "Who are you? How you are…how are you like me? Where did you come from?"

The man tisked, planting a fist on his hip, "My, you are rude. Aren't you suppose to tell me your name first, then ask for mine?"

"Stop playing games!" Tooth snapped, her wings flaring, "You know who I am, so you should know not to trifle with me. Now tell me who you are!"

The man regarded her coolly, not at all intimidated by her weapon of choice. Tooth was faintly embarrassed, wishing so badly for her rapiers. Mentally she was reaching out for her fairies, but she was too far away to contact them. Though by now they should be awake and looking for her.

She startled as the man suddenly smirked, letting his arms fall to his sides.

"You want to know who I am?" he asked.

Glaring, Tooth nodded. But no sooner did she do so, did she suddenly find the man's face mere inches from her own. She gasped and veered back, but the man followed her.

"I am that which rules darkness and fear," he started, slowly backing her up, "I am that which makes you fear the dark, makes you wonder what is out there, what is hiding under your bed and in your closet…"

Tooth felt her back hit a tree, planting her heels back against its trunk. The man only continued to leer down at her, their toes nearly touching, and their noses just a breadth away. His sharp gold eyes pierced hers, as if he were looking into her very soul. She tensed further as his hands came up and planted themselves on either side of her head, his wings flaring until they blocked out the light around her.

"I am merely nothing but a bad dream…" he whispered in her ear.

His breath grazing her cheek, Tooth screwed her eyes together and opened them.

And he was gone…

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

Tooth shuddered as she recalled that day. He had been so…callous that day. She barely had the mental ability to get herself home to her worried fairies, and when she did, she didn't know what to do or think. She had contemplated telling her fairies of the incident and the winged man, but decided against such an idea. He could have been a figment of her imagination from sleepless nights and loneliness. Or perhaps it was just another spirit playing a prank of some sorts. She didn't know. All she knew was, was that despite his insulting her, she hoped to see him again…

And she did. Many times after their first meeting. And with each meeting, it was slowly becoming more and more apparent that she was falling for the dark man. It was hard to say if he felt the same; he was always so guarded, distant. He always held her at arm's length, both figuratively and literally.

And oh, how she wished he would just crush her to that strong chest. He rarely touched her, or let her touch him, but when she did, she could always feel how warm he was. His feathers looked coarse and made for streamlined flying, but they were smooth and soft like velvet. She only wished he was simply drop his barriers, tell her what it was he was so afraid of, and take her into his arms just one time.

But he never did. Small, cautious touches were shared here and there, and hesitant words and flickering eyes. Her loneliness seemed to melt away in those days they became closer. And yet, even after all that time, she never knew his name – he never told her his name and refused to give it.

"Why?" she would ask.

And he would always give the same response.

"I am afraid." He would say. Though what he was afraid of, he never said.

And one day, Tooth decided to confess her feelings to the winged man. But as she waited for him at their grotto – yes, _their_ grotto – he never came.

He had simply _vanished_.

And that was when Pitch had come.

Was it so strange, she wondered, that her black bird would vanish the same time Pitch appeared? That after his defeat, she never heard from or saw him ever again? But why? And how? They couldn't be the same person. If they were, Tooth would know…

Right?

Tooth shook her head. No, she could not question herself now. She had to take action and get answers. And her answers lied at the bottom of the hole she stood before. And whether or not the Boogeyman was down there, she had to know if her raven was down there.

'_I have to know…' _she thought. And if they were in fact of the same person…

She tried not to think about it.

Clutching her rapiers, the Tooth Fairy gazed down into the hole with determination. She took a deep breath, readied herself, and plunged _down…_

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

_A/N~ Hahahaha…damn it. Screw going through my fics in order, I swore I would never cheat again. BUT LO AND BEHOLD, I CHEATED, AND I DO NOT REGRET IT, AND DAMN IT ALL XION5, YOU ARE AND EVIL, EVIL, __**EVIL**__ LITTLE IMP!_

_So! Please enjoy this update while I go wallow in sorrow over my poor, neglected SaD fic. *sniffles* Mama's sorry SaD! She still loves you! TwT_

_Oh, and for a bit of future reference – sources say Tooth Palace is in the Himalayas, while the books reference the tropics of Asia. So I'm not going to get technical on animals in this fic. And if I so happen to make some kind of flora/fauna mistake, I apologize. _

_Also, __**NOTICE! Please vote on my poll! Thank you!**_

_Enjoy!_

_~S~_


	3. Chapter 3

**Of Ravens and Hummingbirds. **

Ch. 3

_A/N~ Firstly, happy Tuesday! 8D No idea why it's a day to say that, but I feel oddly chipper today. It makes me sick. XD Anyways! Here's an update, SaD is DEFINITELY going to be worked on and update next after this. So please hang in there everyone!_

_Enjoy! _

Pairing: Tooth/Pitch (Cavity)

Genre: Romance, humor, angst.

Rating: T (to be safe)

Enjoy!

_~S~_

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

Tooth had never once been in Pitch's lair. She only had a vague idea of what it was like from what her fairies had told her about it. And so far, she felt her fairies were doing the dark realm far too much justice. Pitch's realm was…desolate, to say the least. It was almost exactly like her dream, but off somehow. The air was thick and chilled, like there was a cold force trying to squash all form of atmosphere within it. It was so much darker than what her fairies and Jack described, the shafts of grey-washed light mostly missing, and leaving only tiny pinpricks of light to enter the vast caverns. It was silent as the grave…

And yet, it reminded Tooth of the grotto she first met the raven man at.

From the tiny beams of light, the darkness, and the tense atmosphere, she almost felt a sense of familiarity. She wasn't comfortable per se, but there was a sense of peace in this place – ironic considering how tense and thick the air felt.

Looking around, she caught sight of the many empty cages that hung within the lair from a seemingly nonexistent ceiling. All were empty as far as she could tell, and many were missing – leaving nothing but the lonely, dangling chains left without their cages.

But where was Pitch, she wondered. In fact, shouldn't she have run into a Nightmare or Fearling by now? Her apprehension of this place should have lured out at least one of the monstrous things. But no, she was alone.

Anxious, Tooth almost wished there was a Fearling or Nightmare to confront her. She wished for _something_ to come out and confirm that this wasn't some dream again. A sight, a sound, anything. But nothing happened, and she could not hear nor see anything outside the harmless cages and caverns.

She decided to take a risk, and tightened her hand on the handle of her sheathed rapier.

"Hello?" she called out. Her voice didn't even echo within the yawning caverns. It was as if the darkness itself was eating her voice, swallowing it and everything else in sight, including light; like a black hole.

"Hello?" she tried again, louder this time. But there was no response, not even an echo.

She frowned, suddenly worried. Was Pitch even in his lair anymore? Did he maybe abandon it?

'_But what about the Nightmares and Fearlings?'_ she wondered. They had…dragged him away. But surely he regained control of them…right?

It made Tooth wonder; was Pitch still even _alive?_

A burden of nausea and terror dropped into Tooth's gut. No, that was not right. She and the Guardians would _never_…they would never kill another spirit. Intentionally or not, they would never…

_But you stood by as he was dragged away like a man sent to the gallows,_ a part of her whispered.

Tooth swallowed, her heart beginning to race. No, that wasn't right. For all she knew, Pitch was just hiding. Perhaps he was too weak to want to play his usual mind games with her. And anyways, she wasn't here for Pitch. She was here for _him…_

'_But where is he?'_ she thought.

She suddenly wondered, what if I don't find him? What if my dreams are just that? Just figments of unfulfilled wishes and desires? What if she was just chasing a ghost? The man of black feathers and amber eyes could be long gone by now. She didn't even know if he was still even _alive_ anymore. What if he was caught by the Monkey King all those years ago? The beast was obsessed with her and her kind. And finding a male fairy would have elated him. What if he was truly, and utterly, _gone…?_

"_Toothiana…" _

Tooth startled as she suddenly recalled a memory from all those centuries ago. She and the man were sitting in their grotto together, just waiting for their last few minutes of night to pass and become a sunrise. The canopy shielded them from the scrutinizing moon above, and the man had, at his most vulnerable Tooth had ever seen, asked her a question…

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

"Will you ever forget about me?"he had asked, softly, quietly, refusing to look at the fairy queen.

Tooth had been shocked to say the least, if not slightly hurt by the question. How could she ever forget someone like him? How could she forget such an amazing man? She could never forget his quiet nature, his almost shy manner, yet with his charming and suave quirks. She could never forget the way his eyes would seem to light up as the sun vanished over the horizon each day, yet they would narrow in contempt as the moon stole his night sky. How when he was deep in thought or focused on something, his fingers would tap rhythmically against his knee as if he were playing a piano song to some unknown tune in his head.

She could never forget, how much fear she saw hidden behind his eyes whenever he thought she wasn't looking. How those barriers would just rise up like soldiers at attention. Ready to guard the golden secrets locked behind an impenetrable black vault. How, despite how he proclaims so passionately to have a heart of black – or no heart at all – she just knew it paled in comparison to any gold treasure or trinket.

She could never forget him, and she openly voiced this to him. He turned to face her then, but his eyes were guarded, saddened.

"We always forget things,"he said, "Memories to people are simply like old trinkets. When you first get them, you cherish them. But as time wears on, they become dull, rusted, and eventually useless. It is part of growing up…"

Part of growing up, he had said. She had never heard him sound so hopeless before, so _scared. _

Determined, Tooth grabbed the man's larger hand and held it tight in her own dainty appendage. Looking into his eyes, she said firmly,

"I will never forget you," she said firmly, unrelenting, "I can never forget you. Not with all we've been through and done. Why would you think I would suddenly just…throw you away? You are in some of my most precious memories…"

"You do not even know my name,"he said, "How can you remember something that is but a mere shadow?"

Shaking her head, Tooth smiled sadly, "You don't need to have a name to become a cherished memory."

The man stared at her, his expression unreadable. But behind his gold eyes, Tooth could see an internal battle. Over what, she was unsure of. Perhaps he was contemplating telling her his name. Perhaps he was trying to find some flaw in her reasoning, some kind of escape to put the subject to rest. But after a moment, he shook his head and looked away.

"How can I be sure you will not forget me?" he asked, _"_I may be like you in many ways, but to others, I practically do not exist. I am just a bad dream to others, no sooner to be forgotten. How can I trust that one day you won't wake up and forget about me too?"

Tooth's heart broke for the man. She had no real knowledge of his past; he blatantly refused to speak of it to her. But what she did know was this; her black bird was very hurt, and very, very lonely. His façade of a rude, sarcastic, and stuck-up peacock was but a farce. Before, she was unable to see that, but now, it was clear as day to her.

Frowning, Tooth looked down at her lap, thinking. What could sway the black bird man into believing her? What could she say or do to reassure him that he was not just going to become some bad dream to her? That she was not one day going to wake and turn her back on him?

A thought suddenly occurred to her as she stared at her lap. Looking down at the small bag tied to her hip, she reached down and opened it. She pulled out an item wrapped in a silk cloth, and carefully, she opened it.

The man seemed confused as he looked at the small, ruby box in the fairy queen's hands. But as he watched her open it, it became a bit clearer. Inside was a small collection of baby teeth; a full set it seemed. Carefully, Tooth picked one out and held it up to eye level as she regarded the black bird.

"These are my baby teeth," she explained, "My parents collected them when I was little, and each one holds a precious memory of mine."

She held a tooth out so the man could see, smiling almost meekly at him as his brows shot up into his forehead.

"This one…has the memory of when we first met," she said, "And this one…" putting the tooth back, she reached in and pulled out another one.

"This one, I put the memories of all our best and worst times together in it. So that I may never forget," She took the man's hand and, carefully, deposited the enamel in his palm, "And I want you to keep it."

He seemed shocked, struck speechless almost. It made Tooth almost laugh in all honestly. But he suddenly frowned, looking down at the tooth briefly before he averted his gaze back at her.

"But why…?" he asked.

"Well, if I kept the one with all our moments together, I would maybe think they were a dream," she said, "But if I keep the one with our first meeting, I'll know that you meant something to me. And that you truly existed, and that you impacted me in a positive way. Otherwise I never would have put it in the tooth."

"No, I mean…" the man shook his head, "Why give me this? This is obviously precious to you. Why just give me your _memories_ so freely?"

Tooth seemed to recall a bit of frantic incident where the man before her had taken her tooth box as a way to ruffle her feathers; but he had gotten more than he bargained for. In the end they both calmed and forgave one another – but it was never forgotten, especially by him. She almost cringed in sympathy for the rather large cut she left on his shoulder that day…

Smiling, she took his hand and curled his fingers over the tooth.

"Because, you are just as precious to me as my memories," she said, "And I trust you to keep them safe…"

Squeezing his hand, she steeled her eyes and made sure he was looking at her.

"I promise you, I will _never_ forget about you," she said, "No matter how much we may change, I will _never_ forget all the best, all the worst, and even the strangest times we had together. I _promise…_"

**~x~x~x~x~x~x~**

Tooth bit her lip, her eyes blurring with unshed tears. That had been _so long_ ago, and yet she recalled it as if it were yesterday. Wiping her hand across her eyes, Tooth took one last look around, hoping, _praying_ to her see black bird again. But still, there was no one there.

But there was a _sound_.

Suddenly on the alert, Tooth frantically looked around for the source of the sound. She could not particularly name what it was or what it could be. And then it suddenly clicked for Tooth. It was the sound of a swinging cage. Faint, like it was far away. The creak of a swinging cage…

Tooth swallowed, suddenly unnerved. She carefully looked over her shoulder then, but thankfully saw nothing hanging behind her. No cage, and no raven man trapped inside of it pleading for her help. Reaching into a small leather pouch hanging on her hip, she pulled out the black feather she woke up with. It was long and streamlined, yet it was soft and pliant like a down feather.

She could not stop and turn back now. She's invested far too much in this now, and was in far too deep. It was now or never, she thought.

Taking a deep breath, she put the feather away and dove down into the passage where the sound seemed to be coming from. Flitting deeper into the dark caverns, Tooth was growing increasingly wary of the fact that she was seeing no signs of danger. Nightmares and Fearlings were not the least be present. She could not sense anyone down these tunnels – and it _scared_ her.

Turning down a corner, she stopped. Just nestled in an alcove was a set of double doors. One of them was slightly open, admitting a very faint, yellow-orange glow into the hallway. It was also significantly warmer in the hall, the heat seeming to come from behind the door.

Cautiously, she allowed herself to land lightly on her feet so the sound of her buzzing wings would not attract attention to her. Although she has not seen anyone – or anything – roaming these halls yet, she wanted to be safe. And instinct told her that she was not alone in the lair.

Carefully, she peeked in through the crack of the room. Heat assaulted her eyes, causing her to tear up slightly before her vision cleared.

It was a bedroom. Not huge, but not small – it was open yet held many things within it. It was built to be a safe, homey place it seemed. Many overly stuffed bookshelves lined the walls. In the corner was a large wardrobe, and beside it a dresser and mirror. A writing desk with journals, books, papers, and an ink well and pen sat within a round nook off to the back corner, just across from the roaring fireplace. A smaller cage hung above the room by the ceiling, holding no birds or fairies, but a mass of lit candles that added only to the eerie gold-orange glow of the fire. And just at the vest back of the room, was a giant black cage, part of its front missing and showing what was inside. A pile of oversized cushions and pillows, partly hidden under a silken canopy of black and gossamer gold draped over the cage, as if a sleeping bird were inside – it was a bed, a nest.

And it was occupied.

Tooth gasped and ducked back behind the door. But she paused and frowned, peeking back around the door. Breath held, she looked at the bed again. The Boogeyman was still, unmoving despite her presence. Carefully, she pushed the door open a bit and tip-toed in. Still, there was no response from the Boogeyman.

Tooth willed herself to have courage, and slowly crept up to the nest of pillows and silken blankets. She was just at its edge now, dainty feet just faintly touching the plush rug that crept out from the nest. Gently pushing the drapes away ever so slightly, she peeked in and looked down at Pitch.

She breathed a partial sigh of relief; he was asleep. Curled up in an almost protective ball, a silky blanket tucked around his shoulders and lean body. His shoulder steadily rose and fell in a deep, dreamless sleep. He oddly looked peaceful to Tooth.

A sudden glint caught her attention. Frowning, she peered down at the pillow Pitch's head rested upon. There, just under the gold fringe, she could see a dark shard of obsidian. And…she could sense something from it. A strange pull, yet there was a familiar sense of energy coming from it. It felt almost like…

Like one of her own baby teeth.

Heart pounding in her chest, Tooth numbly reached out for the corner of what she could only guess was a small box. A part of her was so confused; how would Pitch get one of her baby teeth? She always checked on them, and was never missing any. And the only one that was missing, she knew she gave to the raven man. But another part of her was equally confused, yet frightened; why would Pitch of all people have it? Was her black bird truly here, and he took it from him? What was in this box…?

'_Just a little more…'_ she thought, biting her lip.

She froze suddenly as Pitch mumble din his sleep, and suddenly rolled onto his back, one long arm throwing the blanket off of his body. Tooth felt her face flush seven shades of red. He was clad in nothing but his trademark leggings, his cloak missing. Sighing, his head lolled to one side, one arm coming up to rest on hand on the pillow beside his face. The other hand lay limp and stretched outwards at his side, and one leg slightly bent at the knee. His slender chest expanded in a deep breath, before collapsing gently as he released it a she settled again. The cage creaked ever so slightly at his movements, explaining the sound Tooth had heard.

Tooth swallowed thickly, eyes wide. She was so close to him now. She could feel the heat of his bed warmed skin radiating off his body and into hers. His breath ghosted over her cheeks, and the scent almost fascinated her; it was like the smell of burning wood and damp earth. He even smelled like a burning forest extinguished by a heavy rain.

But there was something off, Tooth noticed. His torso was riddled with partly healed cuts and bruises, his abdomen bound crudely in bandages. Parts of his arms were wrapped as well, and al stained black in small or large places. There was a particularly painful looking cut just alone the meet of his neck and shoulder. And below that…

Her fingers were on the box now, but Tooth could not tear her eyes away from what she was seeing on his left shoulder. It was not a cut, bruise, or even a recent injury. It was a scar.

A scar from a cut – a cut made by…

_Clank!_

Tooth gasped and veered back, suddenly airborne. Her fingers had brushed against the box and pushed it loose of the confines of the pillow, where it toppled out of the bed and onto the ground. There, it had opened slightly, and was now emitting a sound – a song.

'_Moonlight Sonata…'_ Tooth remembered. It was one of her favorite songs in the world…

Dazed, she hovered down and turned the music box upright the floor. The box itself was rather small, but slightly bigger than her own Ruby box. It was made of some kind of solid black wood, its lid and base framed with a gold border. In the center of its lid was a gold etched bird – a raven. And inside was a velvet drawstring bag nestled in a small compartment use for jewelry. Alongside it was a small gold band with leafy designs etched into it. Frowning, she picked up the bracelet, studying it. It was far too small for Pitch's wrists, and any other part of him for that matter. Yet, it looked so familiar…

'_Wait! I…I know this bracelet…'_ digging into her memories, Tooth finally realized where she had seen it.

It was one of her own bracelets, from when Tooth palace had been young, and she still so lost and alone. She had lost it in the jungles of Punjam Hy Loo ages ago, and never found it. And yet, here it was…

But why did _Pitch_ have it?

Suddenly on edge, she looked down at the velvet bag still left in the box. Picking it up, she paused and stared wide eyed at what was resting under the bag. She recognized them immediately, and it made her blood run cold just seeing them in such a place.

Black and green mixed together in a mocking array, the feathers were neatly tucked into the little tray together in little bundles. Her own feathers, and _his._

'_How…?' _eyes wide, Tooth was oblivious to the shade rising up behind her, bleary eyes steadily clearing from sleep.

But instead of acknowledging the danger behind her, she looked at the velvet bag in her hands. With shaky hands, she reached out for the drawstrings, and gently started to pry them open.

It was only when the soothing melody of the music box began to slow, and finally stop, did she look up and notice the willowy, menacing shadow looming over her. Wings suddenly tense, she watched as the shadow's hand twirled slightly, and the sound of rustling Nightmare sand reached her ears. The shadow raised its hand, and out of pure instinct, she suddenly flitted to one side just as a black of Nightmare sand hit the ground where she once sat.

Panting, she pressed her back into the wall, clutching the little bag in her hands as she stared at the man before her.

He looked absolutely _furious._ His right hand was swirling with black sand, his eyes narrowed into dagger-like slits. Mouth drawn into a snarl, he growled at Tooth.

"What are _you_ doing here?" he hissed.

Tooth swallowed, suddenly pale. Pitch was awake…

To be continue…

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

_A/N~ Once again I have disregarded SaD and updated this thing. Hahaha, sh**. But! Fear not, I have no gotten halfway through SaD's next chapter. Just needs a bit more work and a bit of tweaking. So please bear with me for a little while longer! This story here is actually only going to be perhaps three or four more chapters long. So yay for short-stories! *sobs into pillow from all this UST and het* god these two need to just kiss…_


	4. Chapter 4

**Of Ravens and Hummingbirds. **

Ch. 4

_A/N~ I dedicate this update to __**Xion5**__ and al others who have just finished this school year today! YAY! But mostly __**Xion5**__. Lol_

_I know it's short, but the ending of this chapter came to a nice cliffhanger. X3 This fic will have another three or four chapters to come before it ends!_

_Also, __**please vote on my poll on my DA journal and on my fanfiction page! I need more votes on both!**_

_Enjoy! _

Pairing: Tooth/Pitch (Cavity)

Genre: Romance, humor, angst.

Rating: T (to be safe)

Enjoy!

_~S~_

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

Never wake a sleeping bear, is what people often say. And it applied quite nicely to the situation at hand. Tooth had seen Pitch angry before in the past, livid even. But she had never seen him look so absolutely _furious_ before.

The Boogeyman looked ready to tear her limb from limb, eyes oppressive and challenging. Tooth was oddly reminded of an angry animal daring another to just try and step into its territory. It made her feathers bristle in trepidation and anxiety.

"Pitch…" was all she managed to rasp.

The Boogeyman snarled like a rabid animal, "I won't ask again, Toothiana. _What_ are you doing here?"

Tooth couldn't answer, somehow paralyzed by that piercing gaze. Not unlike a snake's hypnotizing stare, or a wild cat's alluring gaze. His eyes were of venom, and he had them locked onto her, paralyzing her body and rendering her mute.

Pitch suddenly sneered at Tooth, all jagged teeth and sharp resolve, "Come to mock me while I'm down have you? Going to rub more salt in my wounds just for the sheer hell of it? How lowly of you, Guardian."

Tooth flinched, stunned, before outrage took over. She seemed to snap out of her resolve and glared at Pitch, "How _dare_-"

"Oh I _dare_ just fine, darling," Pitch snapped, "Now explain yourself! What are you doing down here, in my own personal chambers no less?"

Tooth opened her mouth and made as if to answer, but she choked on her own words. What could she say to the Boogeyman? That she came down because she had a dream about a long lost raven man? That she suspected Pitch did something to him? That he was a prisoner here in this Nightmare realm?

Pitch raised a brow in mock curiosity, "Well?" he drawled.

"I…" Tooth swallowed, suddenly unsure, "I'm…I'm looking for someone."

Pitch blinked, as if stunned. Before he suddenly scoffed and crossed his arms, his whole defensive posture lost. He took on his more arrogant, suave position, relaxed with arms crossed over his chest and hip cocked to one side.

"Well whoever you're looking for, they're not here," he said, "There is no one here besides myself and the shadows."

No one here but him…Tooth frowned. That didn't sound right. And seeming to sense the odd statement, Pitch turned away from Tooth so he was looking at the ground. He blinked in surprise as his eyes locked onto the black music box and its contents spilled on the floor. Slowly, he looked from the box, and up back to Tooth again. His arms unwound from their crossed position against his chest and fell to his sides. Slowly, his fists clenched into tight fists that whitened his knuckles and caused a few veins to bulge against his paper-thin skin.

Tooth watched Pitch's subtle movements, suddenly on edge. He looked like he was just barely restraining himself from throwing himself at Tooth and ripping her to shreds. He was like a ravenous wolf being held back by a brittle rope; any moment it could snap if one was not careful.

"I…why do you have those things?" Tooth suddenly asked unsteadily.

Pitch flinched, as if he were struck by some unseen force. But he made no move to answer. Instead, he stared at Tooth with wide, unreadable eyes. There was a very prominent hint of fear in them, yet there was a swirling vortex of other emotions in the center of the gold orbs. A sense of pleading, apprehension, curiosity, and anger.

Tooth swallowed, suddenly nervous. She was in a room with someone who had collected her feathers and bracelet – this, to anyone else, would spell some very cautious and frightening words. But she _had_ to know – was her raven man here? Were those items perhaps his and not Pitch's?

Pitch sneered, "That is none of your concern, Toothiana," he said, before he smirked, "Honestly, you bird types are so nosy. I suggest you leave my home now, or I can give you a real reason to leave, songbird_._"

Songbird…

_He_ used to call her that. How could Pitch know of that word, and use it on her? Unless…

Tooth suddenly clutched the handle of one of her rapiers. Slowly, she brought it out of its sheath and pointed it at Pitch. She could not be meek now, she thought. She was not just the sweet Tooth Fairy now. She was a queen, a warrior. Right now, she was _pissed off._

"Where is he?" she rasped through bare teeth. Pitch frowned.

"I do not know what you are-"

"Yes you do!" Tooth snapped, fluttering closer to Pitch until her rapier nearly touched his neck, "Where is he? Where is the black bird man? You have him here, don't you?"

Pitch's eyes suddenly widened, and his face seemed to drain of its ashen color. Tooth almost smirked; that was all the proof she needed.

"You have him here!" she screamed, causing Pitch to cringe as she backed him into a wall and pressed her blade into his throat, "You tell me where he is right now Pitch Black! Or I swear, I will cut open your throat and watch you choke on your black blood!"

Blinking, the corner of Pitch's mouth twitched briefly as he tilted his head back to keep the blade from breaking his skin, "My, what a dark thought. I thought you Guardians were above such-GUH!"

Swiftly taking her other rapier out, she brought the hard hand down on Pitch's sternum. She watched him slouch against the wall slightly, clutching his now bruised chest. Breathing hard, Tooth was not satisfied. Pushing him flush to the wall, she pressed the very blade to his neck and snarled down at the trapped man.

"Where. Is. He?" she snarled, "Whatever you have done to him Pitch, I swear, I will do a million times worse to you if you hurt him!"

Pitch did not answer, and instead glared up at Tooth nastily. He was not relenting though, and refused to speak. Tooth growled and pressed forward, nicking Pitch's jugular. This close, she could easily see the specks and other small details in his eyes. The way his ashen skin seemed to resemble granite, or a cloudy sky. His hair, slightly disheveled from sleep, reminded her of a bird's crest of feathers. _His _feathers…

She frowned, suddenly lost in those amber orbs. They were so like the raven man's, and yet…they were not. There something off about them, something there was subtle that made all the difference to her. Her raven's eyes were bright and seemed to glow. And yet…whenever he thought she wasn't looking, she would see their glow go out, and their shine reduce. They would seem dull and listless, hopeless and tired.

Just like Pitch's eyes now…

"Go ahead…" Pitch suddenly said, startling Tooth, "You might as well get on with it. Either way, you will _never_ see your raven ever again…"

Tooth's rage suddenly flared up again, and she pressed her second rapier's blade into Pitch's belly, just slightly cutting the bandages.

"Is that a threat?" she snarled.

"Simply a fact," Pitch said flatly.

"How do you know about him then?" Tooth growled.

Pitch snarled suddenly, "You haven't figure d it out yet!?"

Tooth veered back slightly, shocked by Pitch's sudden change in demeanor. He was panting heavily, as if he could hardly contain himself. She was oddly reminded of a shedding snake trying to struggle out of its own skin. There was a struggle in his eyes, a fight between him and some unknown thought of his. Whether or not he was losing or winning was unknown to her. All she knew was that Pitch was slipping, and she seemed to be the only anger he had on his own sanity.

"Look at the box! Look at what is inside it!" he virtually screamed.

Tooth blinked, but somehow against her better judgment, she looked at the box and its contents. Feathers of emerald and black, a lost and found bracelet, and the little velvet bag…

Looking down at her hand, she stared at the tiny bag, its string wound around her hand and freeing it to use her rapiers. She regarded Pitch again with narrowed eyes, but the Boogeyman made no move outside of staring right back at her, nostrils flaring in some barely repressed attempt to conceal his emotions.

Carefully, she sheathed the rapier against Pitch's stomach. Her hand now free, she reached up and unhooked the bag from her hand holding her rapier to Pitch's throat. She squeezed it carefully, and felt what she could only describe as a pebble inside of it – no larger than a baby tooth…

Her eyes widened. _No…_

Shakily, she lowered her second rapier, hanging it from her hand by its handle. With trembling fingers, and eyes still locked onto Pitch's, she loosened the bag's top, and overturned it. A tin, barely noticeable item dropped into her palm. And even though she did not recognize it, she knew exactly what it was.

It was the baby tooth she had given to her black bird – her own baby tooth.

"Figure it out yet?" Pitch suddenly rasped, his voice husky and slightly choked.

Tooth shook her head, looking from the tooth, the box, and to Pitch in turn. Disbelief overtook her. No, this could _not _be happening! Pitch could _not _be…

"You…you're lying…!" she rasped.

"Am I now?" Pitch hissed, spreading his arms out, "Tell me then, what else do you see?"

Tooth, eyes wide, looked Pitch over. At first there was nothing she could see that she would familiarize with her raven man. But then when her eyes grazed Pitch's left shoulder, her eyes landed on the scar she saw before.

A diagonal scar perhaps three inches long, the only noticeable blemish against that granite skin. And suddenly, as if sensing her thoughts, the tooth in her hand sent her a long buried memory…

**~x~x~x~x~x~**

"Toothiana, if you do not calm down and sit still for one second, I'm going to be sick…" the raven man groused, lounging on one of the many silken pillows within Tooth's home.

"Oh give me a break! I'm trying to be a good hostess!" Tooth shot back, again continuing to flit from place to place, carrying a tray of various fruits and some tea.

The man rolled his eyes, but relented and flopped back against the pillow. Fine, if Tooth wanted to cater to him, he really shouldn't complain. But he was bored, and watching her flit about was making him feel dizzy. He certainly wasn't as flaky or flighty as her, why couldn't she just calm down? He wasn't about to fly off at any minute…

He didn't even cringe as Tooth overestimated a turn and knocked over her own tray.

"…you don't get much company here, do you?" he droned.

Tooth paused from cursing herself out and picking up her dropped things. She blinked, looking over at the man with wide, surprised eyes. He looked back at her, quirking a brow curiously. But he suddenly frowned when she looked down and smiled sadly at the mess.

"No…no, I don't…" she said, "Not that many people out there wanting to hang out with a half-bird woman."

The bird man blinked owlishly, before averting his eyes to the ground. One would think he was embarrassed, or perhaps felt a smidge of guilt. He would wholeheartedly deny it, but even he wasn't fully capable of completely hiding his emotions. Not in front of Tooth at least.

"I am sorry…"

"No! No, no, it's fine, really," Tooth tried to amend, waving a hand, "Don't mind me, just relax!"

The man sighed, flopping back into the cushions. Really, had he had known Tooth was going to plan a full on tea party for him, he would have just suggested they go the lake again or something. Not that he didn't appreciate the sentiment, but he was getting a bit bored waiting around to have a conversation with the fairy queen. Add in by the time she was done, her Mini-fairies would be back from their patrol, and he would have to leave.

Clicking of items being set on the low legged table, coupled with the buzzing of Tooth's wings was all he could hear. Well, that and a strange buzzing not at all matching Tooth's wings in his ears. Was he so bored and listless that he could hear his own blood in his ears? Madness…

"Hmm…oh," Tooth startled, looking over at the raven man, "Hang on, forgot something!"

And with that, she flitted out of the room and off to who knows where. The black bird groaned, scrubbing the hells of his hands into his eyes. Really, had half a mind to vandalize her room for making him wait like this.

A grin suddenly broke out over his mouth. Well, maybe no vandalize, no, but _snoop…_

Climbing to his feet, he stretched briefly before he took a look around the room. Tooth's room was rather large, but boasted fairly modest décor and furniture. He walked around the almost overly decorated table with their food and drinks, and considered the wardrobe across the room. No, it's one thing to snoop, and another to be a pervert looking through a lady's clothing…no matter how curious he was…

He averted his gaze to the vanity and mirror, but then shook his head. No, that would make him look like a thief. Besides, there was probably nothing but jewelry, perfumes, and other girl stuff in there. Boring.

His eyes wandered around the room again, until they landed on a polished wood cabinet nearly hidden off in the corner of the room. Curiosity piqued, the raven man sauntered over to it and gripped one of the gold handles. He tugged, but found his arm unable to move back; the cabinet was locked.

He hummed and tapped his chin thoughtfully, "Curious…why lock up such a harmless looking cabinet?"

He paused, looking around suspiciously. No one was in sight, and his sensitive ears could not pick up any sound from anyone nearby. No Mini-fairies, and no Tooth Fairy Queen. He was utterly alone…

It was even two minute later that Tooth returned, flitting back into her room with two sitting pillows clutched to her chest.

"Sorry about that, I couldn't find…" she paused when she saw what was in the bird man's hands.

In his palms, he held a large cut ruby box, around the size of one of his fists. He was gazing at it curiously, rubbing a thumb over one of its sharp edges. The fairy queen felt her blood run cold when he suddenly looked up at her, a brow quirked. He was certain he looked much like the kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

"…you look like you've seen a ghost." He commented in mild concern.

Somehow, Tooth's face seemed to drain further of color, concerning the man further. He was about to ask if she was alright, but paused when her face suddenly turned and ugly shade of red, and contorted into an even uglier scowl. Dropping the pillows, she reached over to the rack containing a few of her rapiers not even a foot from her door.

"Give…" clutching one, she swiped it off its rack and pointed it at the man, "It _back!_"

The man blinked, stunned by Tooth's sudden change in mood.

"What are you-?"

"Did you not hear me? I said give it back!" Tooth snapped, hovering closer to the man with her rapier brandished.

His wings flared in alarm, before his eyes narrowed uncertainly, "What the bloody hell, Toothiana? Put that thing away!"

"Not until you give me back that box!" Tooth snapped.

The man blinked, looking down at the large cut ruby in his hand. That was a box?

As if a switch was flipped, the man suddenly smirked and considered the box curiously, not seeming to take notice of a slightly darkened mass within its core.

"I'm not sure, I quite like this little thing," he said nonchalantly, "I would bet I would like what was inside even more."

Tooth's feathers bristled, and she openly _snarled_ at him. It was quite disconcerting, but seeing as the man enjoyed ruffling Tooth's feathers far too much, he could not help himself.

"Tell me my dear, whatever is inside it?" he asked.

"Give it to me." She growled.

The man tisked, "Well that's rude. Shouldn't there be a 'please' somewhere in there?"

"I mean it…!"

"Oh come now, you have tons of gems and gold lying around here, what is so special about this measly little-"

"I SAID GIVE IT TO ME!"

And suddenly the man was pinned to the wall by the cabinet with a gasp, hand clutching at the cut along his shoulder. Tooth, her hand pushed firmly into his sternum, nearly bending the plate of bone into his chest cavity. Tooth loomed over him, breathing hard through bared teeth, and the blade of her rapier now at his throat. How she managed to get it from cutting a shallow ridge across his shoulder to his throat in what had to be less than the blink of an eye, he would never know.

The man stared wide eyed at her, shock apparent on his features. The fact that she had him pinned to a wall threateningly honestly wasn't that shocking to him. What had surprised him was the fact that she actually drew blood from him…

But, he wasn't about to voice this. The game had obviously gone sour the moment the idea even entered his mind, and was just as bad in taste to them both. And as much as it stung the lacerated muscle of his shoulder, he lifted his hand and presented the jewel box to her.

No sooner did he present it did she swipe it away and flit away from the man, clutching the red gem box to her chest. Her shoulders were trembling, and her face was pale as death. The man had to compare it to the sight of a mother getting her child back from a life threatening situation.

The sword now away from him, he clutched the bleeding cut on his shoulder and looked over at Tooth in an unreadable expression. He made as if to speak, but stopped when he heard the familiar, distant buzzing of Mini-fairies returning from patrol. He sighed, looking over at Tooth hesitantly.

"I think I should go now…" he muttered.

He turned to the nearest window and flitted out of it, disappearing into the foliage below Tooth Palace. The Tooth Fairy barely heard he guest leave, too absorbed in her own fight of nearly losing something so precious to her.

She would not see him again for the longest time, and guilt would nearly eat her alive from how she reacted. But not even a week later, she would find a bouquet of exotic flowers, and a small bag filled with her favorite fig fruits waiting for her in her windowsill. With the items was a note, written in the elegant and unmistakable hand of the bird man. On it was simply written three words,

_I am sorry._

**~x~x~x~x~x~**

The two had reconciled not even an hour after Tooth got his note and gifts. Both were absolutely miserable without the other, and the guilt of their own actions had rendered them stuttering messes in each other's faces. In the end, they both agreed they were both idiots and had a good laugh over the whole thing. Though Tooth insisted she make it up to him somehow since her rapier had miraculously left a scar on him.

Tooth shook her head slowly, disbelieving.

"You…you're _lying._" She rasped.

Pitch scoffed, "Funny, I haven't evens aid anything yet, and you're the one making assumptions."

"Stop it!" Tooth snapped, "I want answers Pitch Black! You cannot be him…!"

"And why ever not?" Pitch shot back, "I cannot believe you did not notice the similarities! What was your first hint? The feather color? The voice? The face? The _personality?_"

"No, you're not-!"

"What more proof do you need!?"

"Show me!"

"FINE!"

Arms shot out to his sides, Pitch's skin seemed to ripple like the heat of a mirage. And before Tooth's eyes, his body was slowly engulfed in black feathers. His hair spiked further slightly into a proper crest, the hair morphing from the course looking strands, to smooth black feathers. A plume of black burst from his lower back, forming the train-like tail. Specks of haunting gold dotted parts of his body in the form of gold feathers. And finally, out from his back burst an array of gossamer gold and black sandy wings.

Tooth gaped openly at the display, eyes wide and nearly bulging out of her head. Pitch loomed over her, chest heaving with erratic breath, and eyes absolutely smoldering with anger at the fairy woman.

"This enough proof for you?" he growled.

Tooth was speechless, unable to say _anything._ What could she say about this? What could she say to the man that was both her enemy, but also her secret love?

'_How did this happen?'_ she thought erratically, _'When did this happen? Why? WHY!?'_

Tooth could feel her heart about to hammer its way out of her chest and make a break for the hills. This was _not_ happening to her. This could _not_ be happening to her…!

"Well?" Pitch rasped, eyes wild and feathers bristling, "Saying something!"

But Tooth couldn't. So instead, she did the first thing that came to her in that moment.

She fled.

To be continued…

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

_A/N~ Augh, I wanted to make this a bit more…well, better, but this is what I got…so yeah…*goes to hide under rock* TwT_

_Please enjoy though despite the suckiness of this chapter! XD_

_~S~_


	5. Chapter 5

**Of Ravens and Hummingbirds. **

Ch. 5

_A/N~ Wow, took me a while huh? But let it never be said I abandon a fic! I've actually be out of commission due to a wrecked back, but now I'm much better and can continue! Sorry for the wait! I know it's short, but eh, more to come soon! I promise!_

_Big shout out to __**Xion5!**__ You are so awesome girl, I fricken love you! I'm glad we can bounce ideas back and forth between each other, so this chapter is dedicated to you hun! *heart* Enjoy the shameless fluff!_

_Enjoy! _

Pairing: Tooth/Pitch (Cavity)

Genre: Romance, humor, angst.

Rating: T (to be safe)

_~S~_

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

Tooth couldn't be too sure, but somehow during her escape(?), she had ended up back in her room at Tooth Palace. How she had gotten there so fast, and without a single recollection of her journey from Burgess, she did not have the slightest idea.

All she knew was that she was so _confused_ and _frightened. _

Sat upon her bed, shaking from head to toe, face pale and hands wringing on her lap. Never in her life had she felt so thrown, so confused about something she had once hated and loved. And to have those two emotions come together, to converge, in her heart from a single truth…

'_No!' _she thought, _'It cannot be true…!'_

But what if it was? What if Pitch truly was her raven man? What if, all this time, he had been hiding right under her nose? What if he had kept this from her…?

But _why?_

Why had he gone away? Why had he _lied_ to her? Why had he kept this from her for such a long time…?

Tooth's throat felt like it was closing up, and she pulled her knees up to her chest as her vision blurred. A soft sob escaped her as she buried her face in her knees, wings quivering in repressed emotion. Her heart clenched; it felt like a crack was slowly crawling over it, where it would meet its destination if she was not careful.

Sniffling, she looked up and around her room. Dusk was just reaching its peak outside, flooding her room with a kaleidoscope of oranges, reds, yellows, and misplaced purples. She was oddly reminded of her black bird by those colors; she was the warm, bright colors, and he the dark, mysterious, misplaced color of darkness. They did not seem to belong together, and yet they always met and touched each other at the call of dusk.

A glint caught her eyes then, and she averted her gaze to the jewelry box on her vanity. The partial light of the setting sun caught on its bejeweled surface, lighting it up like a beacon. Her heart lurched suddenly, as she seemed to realize it was not her usual jewelry box; that sat on the other side of the vanity. This box was significantly smaller, perhaps the size of two of her fairies. And it held something far from what a jewelry box should contain.

And with a sudden jot of clarity, Tooth realized what was in that box. The truth.

With shaky legs, Tooth pushed herself off her bed and shuffled for the vanity, staring down at the bejeweled box. With careful, yet shaking hands, she reached out and opened its lid. No gold, silver, or jewels sat in that box, and she stared at what was inside.

Pitch's tooth.

The same tooth she had, in a fit of emotions, knocked right out of his mouth after the Nightmare War. Staring at it almost dumbly, the fairy queen seemed torn between picking it up and tossing it out her window.

The tooth frightened her. She could already see energy coming off of it, its aura pungent and bitter to her senses. She had never once looked at the memories of an adult tooth. She had no reason to, and she had to wonder if she was even capable of reading memories off of an adult tooth – let alone an adult spirit's tooth.

She had to know though.

So with trembling fingers, she picked the enamel up and held it in one open palm. It felt heavy in her dainty hand, almost like it bore the weight of every fear and anxiety in the world. It frightened her, just how much this tooth was holding.

Tooth took a deep breath through her nose, and closed her hand around the tooth. And with a deft mental trigger, she was soon seeing its memories…

**~x~x~x~x~x~**

At first, she thought she was looking in a mirror. But it was not so, as the mirror image across from her suddenly laughed and shoved her shoulder teasingly. It took her a moment to realize her body was not her own. She was looking down slightly at her double, and she felt numb to her own body; like she was trapped inside it.

It wasn't until she turned to look down at a pool of reflective water, that she realized why.

Her reflection – no, not hers – showed that she was no longer herself. She was seeing through the eyes of the owner of the tooth she had been holding. And the image of her raven man – of Pitch Black – stared back at her in the pool's reflective surface.

Gold eyes blinked back at her, their contrast against his ashen face and dark feathers startling. And just slightly behind him, Tooth could see herself.

She held an odd looking brush in her hands, the bristles wide-set and pliant. Carefully, she ran the soft brush over the feathers of Pitch's back and tail, laughing at how some of the more unruly feathers just bounced stubbornly back into their curled positions.

"I am not sure I see the point of this…" he suddenly said uncertainly.

Tooth scoffed, "Have you _seen_ your feathers? They're so messy! You obviously never groom or preen, so I'm going to do it for you."

A sigh, "Last week it was my teeth – I still feel violated I'll have you know – and now it's my 'plumage'. You are unconventionally fussy."

"Oh hush, you should be thanking me," Tooth said with a smile, plucking a small twig from the base of his tail, "I got that seed that's been bugging you for days out, remember?"

Yes, he (she) did remember. Apparently her raven man had an affinity for strawberries, and so had the misfortune of getting one of their tiny seeds caught in his teeth. It had bugged him for days, and prevented him from achieving a moment's peace. But after a rather thorough endeavor (assault) on Tooth's part, and the rather aggressive end of a tooth brush, Pitch was freed from his minor annoyance.

And somehow – hell only knew how – Tooth took note of the rather deplorable state of his feathers, and insisted in brushing them out. Just why she felt obliged to do so, he did not know. And although he at first found the preening annoying, he was beginning to enjoy the pampering attentions – not that he would ever admit it. Ever.

Running the brush down the long arch of his back, Tooth paused to pluck another twig from the steadily smoothing feathers. The sleek onyx feathers shone like polished obsidian the more she brushed, while the gossamer gold plumes seemed to sparkle like shooting stars against the stark black feathers.

And as she passed over his back once more, she suddenly paused, her eyes hooded. She reached up with her free hand and placed it against the base of one of his wings, causing it to shudder briefly at the contact.

"You know," she started softly, "We've been seeing each other for months now, but I barely know anything about you. You won't tell me your name, where you live, where you came from…but it feels like I've known you for years."

Pitch's eyes narrowed, his lips tightening into a thin line. He said nothing as Tooth continued, her fingers absently carding into his back feathers and gently rubbing the base of his wing. Feeling him tense slightly, she moved her hand up so it curled over his shoulder, giving the tense, knobby appendage a quick squeeze.

"I know it sounds corny, but…well, it's just how I feel," Tooth shrugged, and the present version of her that was watching had the good graces to feel embarrassed by her past babbling, "And…I hope it's how you feel too. Like we're close friends, or…"

_Or more_, was what she had meant to say back then. But she never did, as her own fears and insecurities chose then to well up and choke her off. Instead she cleared her throat and got back to brushing.

"A-anyways, ignore me, I'm just being weird right now." She said. She was about to remove her hand from his shoulder, but was stopped as a larger hand came up to cover her dainty hand, preventing her from removing it.

Pitch said nothing, but his hand tightened slightly around Tooth's. She blinked in surprise, but did not resist against him as he held her hand to his shoulder. His head bowed, long neck arching forward as he sighed.

"I…feel afraid." He said softly, almost inaudibly, "I am so afraid, Toothiana."

"Of what?" Tooth asked in concern, her hand squeezing his shoulder again.

He shook his head, "Of everything. If I tell you my name, I am afraid you will flee from me. If I tell you where I am from, I fear you will abandon me. And if I told you anything about me…you would want to forget about me."

Tooth frowned, her hand tightening over his shoulder. This wasn't the first time he has expressed fearing how she would react to information about him. But it was the first time she was able to _feel_ just how scared he was of her rejecting him. The raven man carried with him a heavy burden in his heart. The dark, weak organ in his chest was faltering as it tried to support itself with all the anger, anxiety, and _fear_ festering inside it like a tumor.

This fear is a sickness. And while a part of her stung slightly in hurt at how little faith he had in her, she knew it was nothing compared to what he felt now. Fear was, more often than not, an irrational thing after all. And she knew, that while her words ran deep, her actions would prove to him how much he could trust her. And she intended to win his trust – if only to get just a name out of him. It would be more than she could ever ask for.

Setting the brush aside, Tooth sat up on her knees and wrapped her other arm around his other shoulder. The hand under his own slid down and around his neck, gently squeezing as she leaned into his back. Tooth felt him tense against her, but she only held him tighter and leaned the side of her head against the back of his neck.

"Do you know why I collect the teeth of children so adamantly?" she asked him softly.

She felt his Adams apple bob against her arm as he swallowed. Hesitantly, he placed the hand once over her own over her arms around his neck, uncertain.

"No…" he said quietly, almost inaudibly. Tooth smiled and leaned further against him.

"It's because of the memories kept inside them," she said, "I've told you how I can read the memories kept inside of them, and even show the kids who used to own them. Memories are more precious than gold, especially to me."

Slowly she could feel his body unwinding against her, even feel it start to lean into her touch.

"What is your point?" he asked.

"My point is, is that I won't forget you," she said, "It would go against my nature. I'm like a keeper of memories."

She felt him tense once more, "A Guardian…" he muttered.

Tooth shrugged, "Yeah, I guess! Keeper sounds nicer though, less intense. But anyways, what I'm trying to say is…" she paused, suddenly unsure as her cheeks burned red.

Pitch tilted his head suddenly, partly looking over his shoulder at Tooth. She hesitated and avoided his gaze, arms tightening around his shoulders. Jaw tightening, Pitch prompted her.

"What is it?" he asked.

Tooth swallowed and shut her eyes, burying her face into the back of his neck.

"I like you too much to just forget about you…" was her muffled reply.

A hush settled over them then. Tooth had to wonder just how stupid she had sounded to him, how utterly desperate and – dare she say it – lovesick she had been then. And yet, a part of her disagreed. She had been very attached to the bird man, and she had – and still has – those frightening, yet wonderful feelings for him. Even after all this time, he was all she could think about for centuries after he disappeared.

Only to reappear as Pitch.

Just as Tooth was about to let go of the raven man and possibly crawl under a rock, he shifted and tightened his hold on her arm. Carefully, and making sure her arms were kept around him, Pitch turned on his knees so he was facing Tooth. The fairy queen was startled at the sudden brightness in his eyes, how in the dim light of the evening, the surface of his eyes reflected light against unshed tears.

A large hand came up to cup one of her cheeks, and she could only stare up at him as he spoke.

"Will you swear me something, songbird?" he asked softly.

Tooth flushed deeply at his nickname for her, but slowly she nodded.

"Will you swear to never forget? To always remember me in all my forms?" he asked, "Will you never forget this face, and stay by my side, no matter how much we may change?"

She didn't even hesitate. Tooth nodded and said, "Yes."

"Do you swear?"

"I swear."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

He stared into her eyes for a long, tense moment, without saying a word. And after a moment, it was as if a switch had been flipped. A single tear slipped down his face, and before she could understand what was happening, he leaned in and kissed her.

A jolt of shock, elation, and terror shot through Tooth's body then, and her arms tightened spastically around his neck. Eyes wide, she couldn't help but think how this was her very first, real kiss from a man. Her first kiss – and it was actually like one of the many corny romantic kisses she always read about in storybooks. It was full, passionate, and yet, it was soft, chaste. He kissed her like she was the first, last, and only person in the world. And yet, it was like a prince placing a simple peck on a woman's lips.

Her bones turned to rubber, and suddenly he was the only anchor she had to the earth. Tightening her arms around him, she leaned into the kiss and deepened it, eyes closing as she relaxed in his arms. His arms came up and placed themselves gently against her hips, his thumbs rubbing soothing circles over the soft curves.

A minute passed, and yet to Tooth, it felt like an eternity. And just as she was about to deepen their kiss further, her lips were suddenly chilled by a sweep of the evening wind. Her eyes snapped open, and she blinked in utter confusion at the lack of the raven man in her sight. He was gone – and suddenly the present Tooth's view was slightly obscured by shadows.

She watched from the shadows of a large tree as her past self blinked in confusion. Pitch was hiding, but still watching her from the growing darkness of night, as if awaiting her reaction.

Tooth sighed, suddenly disappointed. But at the same time, she was not surprised. The moon was nearly high in the sky, and it seemed every time it was present, he would flee before it could reach its peak. It was as if he was running from someone, as if he wanted to avoid being seen by some unknown force.

She looked up at the moon, scrutinizing it coldly. She almost wanted to be mad at it for ruining the moment. But that was stupid. It was just a giant rock in space that reflect the sun's light. There would be no point in getting upset with it.

A breeze suddenly ruffled her feathers then, and she wrapped her arms around herself to block out the chilled breeze. She had to go home now.

She stood up and was about to take flight, but stopped as a whisper in the wind caught her attention.

And what it said made her smile.

"_My name is Pitch Black."_

**~x~x~x~x~x~**

Tooth gasped as the memory ended, her chest heaving as she stared with wide eyes at the back wall of her room. She panted, a cold sweat formed on her forehead as her racing heart pounded with relentless intent against her ribs.

'_That's right…'_ she thought. He had told her his name _centuries_ ago. The same day they kissed. The same day he disappeared…

She recalled, after that night, she did not see him again for the longest time. At first she thought he was just embarrassed and needed some space. But days went by without any sign of him. Days became weeks, and weeks became months. Slowly, Tooth began to lose hope, and her heart hardened over the time he was gone. Suddenly she was alone again, and anguish crushed her heart. She threw herself into her work then, all the while trying to figure out if she did something wrong to make him stay away after she was the one who promised to never leave him.

She soon began to suspect that something happened to him. As at the same time he was missing, she had not seen a single monkey man wandering her jungle. Did he perhaps run into them? Did he go after them to leave her in peace? Was he hurt? Was he _dead?_

Tooth then at the time had made it her mission to find her raven man – this Pitch Black. She did not know who he was at the time. And she would not find out until a month later, when a young girl lost a Tooth at the Lunar Llama sanctuary up in the Himalayas.

Though wary of the so called Guardians, she joined them in their mission to get their friend back – if only because it was the Monkey King and an unknown cohort behind it. But when she came face to face with the man they called the Nightmare King…

Tooth blanched, Pitch's tooth falling from her hand in utter horror.

When she had seen the Nightmare King, she _knew_ who he was. And yet…she did not want to believe it. Her raven man, his soft obsidian feathers replaced by a long cloak of shadows, was not the man she had devoted herself to. But his face, his voice, his _eyes_ – they were all _his_.

But she did not want to believe it. And instead of keeping her promise…

Tooth gasped, covering her mouth with her hands in horrid realization. Tears fell down her face as all the pieces clicked into place for her.

She had not only broken her promise to Pitch.

She had _forgotten_ about him.

To be continued…

**X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~X**

_A/N~ HAH! Finally, a new chapter! Ugh, sorry this took so long. I wrecked my back last week and was completely out of commission all last week. It seems I also have developed sciatica – a chronic pain in one or both legs and lower back caused by an irritated or compressed sciatic nerve. But I am much better now! _

_And I am going to be focusing on this fic from now until I finish it. It looks like we'll get maybe three or four more chapters out of it before it draws to a close! And then we'll move on to my other fics 8)_

_Please enjoy! Sorry for the shortness, but more to come soon!_

_~S~_


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